Amal Abu Sbeitan, Women’s Rights Activist on Solidarity Hunger Strike since 10 Days

Resilient Amal Abu Sbeitan (38 years old), a Palestinian human rights and women’s rights activist, has gone on hunger strike for 10 days in solidarity with Palestinian hunger strikers. Over 1600 Palestinian prisoners are hungerstriking since April 17th, for improved prison conditions. The prisoners are protesting against the brutal Israeli treatment, and collective punishments, which violate their human rights, protected under the IHL and the Fourth Geneva Convention.

From her house in Deir Al Balah refugee camp in Gaza, Mrs. Abu Sbeitan, who is a mother of three, declared her hunger strike, and is constantly participating in the sit-ins, protests and demonstrations in solidarity with the prisoners. She is the first woman to go on hunger strike, and was followed by many others who joined to support the prisoners’ just cause.

Abu Sbeitan explains that her idea to hunger strike came as a response to the deafening international silence, and the scarce national mobilization. She stated that only tens of people participate in the demonstrations, and few are present at the solidarity tents. Ironically, hundreds gather on the nights of the Spanish Classico to support their favorite football teams.

Abu Sbeitan has also launched a page on Facebook to support the prisoners. She highlighted the case of prisoner Mahmoud Sursuk, a football player in Palestine’s National team, who has been in prison since 3 years and is on hunger strike since 41 days. She stressed the importance of the internet to mobilize international supporters to the prisoners’ issue. Abu Sbeitan confirmed that she would hungerstrike until her body fails. She called upon all international organization saying: Israel spent millions for one prisoner: Shalit. We have thousands of prisoners, unrecognized, unknown. We have to take their cause into the international arena, to tell their story to the world, especially through western media.

PWWSD launches Women’s Right to Residence Campaign

In cooperation with the UNDP, the Palestinian Working Women’s Society for Development launched campaign “Women’s Right to Residence after Divorce”. The campaign aims to protect divorced women’s right to residence, and most importantly their dignity and right to decent living. The organization called upon governmental organizations to fulfill their obligations towards women’s right to residence, and to adopt a just personal status law, which grants women their right to residence and custody of young children. 

The PWWSD called upon the chief justice Mr. Id’es to establish a specialized unit within the Charia Court, whose responsibility is to ensure the implementation of the orders passed by the Court. The organization also urged the chief justice to impose a financial penalty to be paid to the divorced women, in order to finance their new residence and life expenses. If husbands refrain, they must be obliged to provide a residence for their divorced wives and children, until a progressive modern personal status is law is adopted.   

PWWSD called for more lectures and educational activities about women’s rights to residence and inheritance, which address both women and men, through civil society institutions including mosques, and the media. PWWSD asked for the prosecution of anyone who forces women to concede her share of inheritance, or any of her rights, particularly her financial rights. The organization called upon the Palestinian government to adopt a crediting strategy for divorced women; the banks to give loans to divorced women, repaid by women in payments equal to the amount of money they received from their divorced husbands.

PWWSD explained that Palestinian women face social, economic, legal and cultural challenges, which violate their rights to inheritance and residence. Palestinian women are not protected by the Labor Law - article number 7, if they engage in informal family business.

PWWSD organizes Solidarity Sit-in with Palestinian Prisoners

The Palestinian Working Women’s Society for Development organized a sit-in in the Solidarity Tent on Monday in solidarity with the Palestinian hunger strikers in Israeli prisons. Tens of working women and volunteers joined the sit-in, which took place at the Clock Square in Ramallah.

Amal Khreishe, the general director of the PWWSD stated: “we came here to express our solidarity with all the Palestinian prisoners inside the Israeli prisons, to protest against the unjust practices of the Israeli Prisons Service against the Palestinian prisoners.” Khreishe added that on behalf of the staff of the Palestinian Working Women’s Society for Development we salute the prisoners, who with their resilience are redefining the meanings of patriotism, dignity and freedom.”

Khreishe called to utilize the solidarity campaigns in order to expose brutal treatment of the Israeli occupation, and reveal the atrocities that take place inside the prisons against Palestinians. She also called upon international organizations to fulfill their responsibilities towards Palestinian prisoners who are facing the most horrifying forms of torture.

PWWSD implements two workshops about Kindergartens and Women’s Right to Inheritance

PWWSD implements two workshops about Kindergartens and Women’s Right to Inheritance

The Palestinian Working Women’s Society for Development, in cooperation with the Democracy and Workers’ Rights Center conducted two workshops in Bethlehem on Monday. The workshop addressed workers in kindergartens and nurseries. Mr. Mohammad Erreh from the DWRC talked about the worsening conditions for the teachers working in the sector of the Kindergartens and nurseries, in addition to the struggles and accomplishments made to unite the teachers in order to pressure and lobby the decision-makers. He also talked about the accomplishments made in the past years in order to protect the workers’ rights, and to adopt a minimum rate for wages.

On her part, Wijdan Al-Azzeh, the civic educator in the Palestinian Working Women’s Society in Bethlehem talked about the Palestinian Law of Labor, and women’s rights in kindergartens, in addition to work contracts, and the methods to apply the laws, and the importance of mobilizing teachers in unions in order to protect their rights.

A film was screened afterward which tackles women’s reality in kindergartens, and the violations they encounter at work or in their social life.

The PWWSD also organized a workshop in Al-Tireh College in Ramallah. Civic educator Naela Oudeh talked about women’s right to inheritance and the legal procedures concerning this right. Oudeh talked about the importance of women’s inheritance to empowering women’s social and economic status in society. Many students participated in the workshop, which is implemented under the Inheritance Denied project, in cooperation with the UNDP.

The Psycho-social program in Nablus

The Psycho-social program at the Palestinian Working Women’s Society for Development conducted a debriefing workshop for the civic educators and councilors in Nablus, as a member of the coalition for Psycho-Social Support. The program also conducted a debriefing workshop for women who have lost one of their members, in cooperation with the Tadamon association, in order to help these women.

During March, the Psycho-social program in Nablus implemented a series of educational activities that addressed children’s behavioral disorders, shoplifting, and stubbornness and the ways to deal with these disorders. The program offers psycho-social consultations through an open line 1800606060, through which many violated women are referred to specialized organizations for help. Many women seek the program’s office in Nablus to meet with councilors Futna Khalifa and Klara Yaeech for consultation and help.